The sweet and caring people at Channel4 have recently aired (and keep on airing to their shame) a show that not only shows a few stereotypes as the general outlook of an entire nation, but are also encouraging dissensions among legal immigrants in the United Kingdom and Brits. I’m a Romanian, I am working in Northampton as a specialist (Software System Development), I have a phD in Computer Science and I have been feeling personally insulted by the show.

Why? Why take it on a personal level? Because the second day after the show aired I was welcomed at work with funny stares and questions about the country where I come from… As the saying goes, if it is in the newspaper or it’s on the telly, it must be true: That Romanians are thieves and rapists and tax “vacationists”.

I was short of losing my temper – we are nothing like the show depicted us. While they promised to look at Romanians from all levels and I was expecting a bit of “scum” to pass through the show’s documentary approach, I was appaled by the low quality of the script, the unflattering characters found to play and I can’t help but think that their add to star on the show was:

“We are looking for Romanian Thieves. We will pay you to appear on the show and tell us how bad you are. We will also make you tell us about every scam you made so you can be proud of yourself on national tv. No higher education necessary.”

Well – 2.5% of a population of Romanians that have their own ethnicity & customs and are refusing to integrate in the home country do not make 100% of the Romanian population who are (mostly) well adjusted adults, striving for higher education, working in high-skilled professions who love their children and respect their elders. We have Silicon Valley Transylvania – a group of Microsoft (and not only) specialized software developers, we outsource some of the greatest engineering brains Europe has to offer, we have great cities with massive universities. And we have access to free education and free healthcare. We know an average of 2.5 languages per person. We learn English as a second language since primary school and we also love French and German. My cousins both speak English, German, Greek and can read Latin. I can easily hold a conversation in French, German and a bit of Hungarian.

Channel4

@Channel4 might try to spray our reputation with a pallet of shit, but there is nothing you can say to an individual who shows up to work every day of the year, regardless of colds and other illnesses, who is reliable, efficient and does not shy away from work.

You can’t put an honest man down. You can’t say a chemist, a bank manager or a doctor are less qualified because they come from a different background.

I’m not saying we are perfect. We, as any orchard, have our share of bad apples. But we are not the nation pointing the finger nor did we try to blow up the Channel4 building like some extremists might have done. (Remember #JeSuisCharlie?)

Thank you again @Channel4 for making me raise my voice. And believe me, my outrage is not singular.

I finally gave in. After years of mediatic abuse, first caused by the book release and then by the “phenomenon” which is “50 shades of grey”, I went to the movies tonight and I think I was one of the most immature people in the audience. (The rest being sexually frustrated women over 40 who hadn’t seen a naked guy in years)
First thing’s first: I need to change my hairstyle. It never occured to me that my daily scruffy style with bangs in my eyes is so popular among sadistic rich people.Second, thank God I am not a literature graduate – ’cause I’d be desperate to find a job when I graduate! This poor chick chose poorly not only in love but in future career possibilities. She was so naive! What 20-odd year-old with her looks would still be a virgin? She was good in her role, breathing out sensuality in every scene so that was cool. Her body is also awesome – especially in the butt department, but a bit lacking on the boobs area. I have never seen so many nipple shots since Game of Thrones!

Christian Grey is an eye candy! So hot! (So damn hot that even other characters in the movie have to stop and mention how hot he is!). He’s a very well built man! And I think I chuckled like a schoolgirl on her first date when he kept on taking his shirt off during different scenes. Cute nipples man! And that V shaped body … yum!

I would totally be lying if I said I did not enjoy the awesome soft-porn. The movie is totally tame and it’s only 40 minutes in that we see Mr. Grey’s Red Room of pleasure. And another 10 minutes in when they make love (missionary style) in a very old fashioned bed in an very old fashioned hotel room.

The kinky part is really cute – he barely caresses her with whips and feathers and doesn’t do anything other couples don’t do when they want to spice up their relationship.

The sex scenes were really hot. So hot that the lady next to me was chuckling nervously and the one in front of me brought up her mobile phone and started recording the entire thing!

I remember reading somewhere that a man complained about the buzzing sound in the cinema where he went and also another one got thrown out for complaining to a woman that she was moaning too loud (lol).

On a serious note, this movie is kinda bad – it tries to normalize BDSM (while generalizing on a few wider known aspects and not dwelling deep enough on the emotional connection two people develop) and also tries to portray abusive and jealous behaviour as either norm or related to BDSM. Not cool.

Think how different this movie would have been if he were a McDonald’s server and not a rich millionaire?

Update

I have read the first book of the trilogy and it had a LOT more sex scenes than the movie. And in the book it’s so obvious he’s a deranged son of a bitch! And she at least has some pretense at love until she opens her eyes at him in the last beating scene. Awful.

And possibly my best friend too. I feel that spring is in the air and my spirits run high. I’m feeling giddy when I think I shall return home to find the guy I want to be with forever and ever waiting there for me.

He loves me, I know it. I see it in the way he smiles at me, the way his usually worried face goes through a metamorphosis (much like a butterfly) and shines bright with happiness. I’m the same. When he’s with me, resting his head in my lap, touching my butt casually as I walk past, running at me full speed from the kitchen to give me a cuddle on the couch. * pardon me, sofa *
He still cooks for two on Sundays and I am loving the care I am getting :)

I love him loads and since I found this beautiful love song from Ed Sheeran – I have been listening to it on repeat. Imagining him with me (not Ed, my beloved).
I want to slow dance with him, I want to put my head on his shoulder, feel him as he takes me in his strong arms, bask in the warmth of his gaze, drift slowly into nothingness as nothing really matters when I’m with him.